Will You Be My Friend? Social Networking in the Workplace
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2013
Publication Title
New Library World
Volume
114
Issue
9/10
First page number:
428
Last page number:
442
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to provide an overview of the perceptions of librarians regarding the use of social networking in their professional lives.
Design/methodology/approach – A survey was administered to a random sample of librarians at academic institutions.
Findings – Adoption rates for social networking were high, with 85 percent of the 765 respondents reporting an account in at least one social networking account. Responses reveal opinions about privacy, boundaries, and professional relationships within social networking, suggesting that it does influence relationships within the profession.
Research limitations/implications – The paper presents a snapshot of users' perceptions. Since social media changes rapidly, it is likely that perceptions will also likely change over time.
Practical implications – The paper presents a snapshot of the perceptions of librarians towards social media. This article could be useful to librarians who currently use or are considering creating a social media account.
Originality/value – This paper looks at social media and how it changes interactions between co-workers, which have been little studied in the past. This can be valuable to organizations who create policy and also to employees, who need to consider privacy issues as they become involved in social media.
Keywords
Academic librarians; Librarians; Online social networks; Privacy; Social media; Social networks
Disciplines
Communication | Library and Information Science | Social Media
Language
English
Permissions
Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the item. Publisher policy does not allow archiving the final published version. If a post-print (author's peer-reviewed manuscript) is allowed and available, or publisher policy changes, the item will be deposited.
Repository Citation
Del Bosque, D. C.
(2013).
Will You Be My Friend? Social Networking in the Workplace.
New Library World, 114(9/10),
428-442.